Sheikra

Katy Perry’s Firework and the smell of popcorn were in the air. Along with about 100 conversations. Standing in a frozen state, thinking about the mistake I was about to make, I was terrified and shaking. I didn’t know if I was sweating from fear or from the hot Florida’s summer heat. I was about 15 years old, and somehow survived without having been on one in my entire life. I wouldn’t. And no one could make me, because I was too much afraid to strap myself in a cart of death. But here I was. Listening to a supposed friend convince me I would be fine, and that I should conquer my fear with him. “Come on, you will be fine! And you won’t regret it! you will thank me afterwards. You watch and see,” He said as he grabbed my arm and led me into the waiting line. “Ok….” was all I could manage to say. A part of me hated him at that moment for low-key forcing me to do this. To ride this God-forsaken rollercoaster. Shiekra… “You know, I heard they call it Shiekra because so many people ‘shriek’ on it…” I wanted to deck him in the face, because I knew he was trying to scare me more, but I refrained. I remember that was the fastest moving hour-long line I had ever been in. It felt like only 10 minutes went by and I was about to get on it. “You want the front?” he asked me. “Whichever is least scary” he just gave me this twisted smirk and led me to the front row. I didn’t pull away or anything. It was all I could do to walk steady. I sat down in a wet seat… and I realized it hadn’t rained that day. “Did I seriously just sit in someone’s piss?” The lady checking my buckle laughed and said “you wouldn’t be the first one…” I couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would be so stupid as to let themselves get on a ride with a full bladder. But then I realized I had a full bladder, and now… I was that idiot.

I heard the buckles clicking and people starting to whistle and yell ‘woohoo!’… You idiots this is our death sentence! Please shut up and let me die in quiet, ‘cause Lord knows it won’t be peaceful. I was tensed up and gritting my teeth so bad my jaw started to hurt. Obviously my friend saw me, “You need to relax. Take a deep breath-“

“Relax???? You expect me to relax!? This is my first rollercoaster ever and you want me to relax. You need to shut up before I punch you!” he just laughed at me as the floor began to lower. I checked my feet to make sure my shoes couldn’t possibly come off. Of course if I was dying, what would that matter?

The cart swung forward and like any typical rollercoaster and began ascending in the air. I looked down… heights never bothered me before. But being strapped in this thing? I was terrified thus more. And there it was. The drop. The first one anyway. The cart reached its climax and just as it was slowly starting to descend, it stopped. Keep in mind, I am in the front. Hanging over the edge like a thrill-seeker, only… I was not a thrill seeker. “You ready?” he thought he was helping me by asking if I was ready. I couldn’t wait to get off so I could smack him into the next week. “No I am not ready. I can’t believe you got me to get on thi-“, my sentence was cut short and I was falling. Racing down the 45 degree angled drop. “HOOLLLYYY SSSHH*****!!!! AAHHHHHH!!!”  I screamed louder than my I thought my vocal chords could handle.

The ride didn’t last long. Two flips. And two ridiculous drops. I screamed the whole time and managed to cuss for the first time out loud, and I have no doubt Obama heard me from the White House. Then it was over. People were getting off, and more were racing to get on. I felt like I was in slow motion after moving so fast. “Well did you like it?” it took me a few seconds to process the question. “Um… yeah. Wanna go again!??” I loved it! And if it wasn’t for a friend convincing me to conquer my fear of rollercoasters, I would possibly still be afraid to ride little kiddy rides at Disney.